Still Life Painting by Gabriel Trevino

This is a painting (canvas 4x6 acrylic) I did last year 2008 , almost life size, a portrait of my wife, she pose for about 20 minutes, which I was able to sketch her from head to toe, a fast drawing using black paint and I had to put together the rest of it. The lamp and the glass were still life too, but were painted at different times. I did it in about 2 weeks 2 to 3 hours a day. This is a painting where I have enjoyed working with acrylics, because they dry fast and mix well, I tend to be a little impatient, and like to work fast. Its a freehand drawing, I don't care to much for taking a picture, graphing etc. I don't do projections either. There is nothing wrong with that, they are tools, but preference, I like to just let it come natural.. All the detail is concentrated on the face, very life like, three dimensional being life size, it helps I think build character between the viewer and the subject, distorting everything else , which is usually what happens when we look at things. And the face was most important to me, it had to look like my wife and not her imaginary twin or look alike, I mean it had to be her. One of the greatest things about painting someone you know and see every day, you already know a lot about them, there expressions, color of skin, eyes, hair, you remember all these things and you can simply paint by memory. The lighting in this piece is suggested coming from the obvious lamp,if you see the shadows all working on the opposite side of the lamp. The pallet - colors all work in contrast of each other, it was after I finished it that I realize I had painted a green floor. The flowers on the right are typical flowers, teresas, which I like, and compliments a portrait of a woman. The wine glass, and cross silhouette are symbolic of spiritual peace, which brings the story to the painting. I got a chance to exhibit this painting at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts - BISD Faculty Show and at the recent Historic Brownsville Museum- "Tres" Pintores. I like the idea of painting life size subjects, to where they can just walk out of the painting, its a surreal feeling. I had this painting hanging in my living room, and being life size I can feel the presence of my wife, sitting there at peace..

Gabriel Trevino - brownsvilleartform@yahoo.com